FOLLOW

Thursday, 24 August 2017

The memories wash upon the shore. They dig into rocks before tumbling back to the sea. I sit alone by the bay, watching the waves shift in sunlight. It is too hot today. I sweat in this heat but I enjoy the view. Where the sky meets sea, and dance across the line.

I smile.

Today is a beautiful day. Today, perhaps, I can finally let go.

I am not good at letting go.

My bedroom is a prime example.

Ripped posters still plastered on my wall. Broken makeup still hidden in their drawer. Letters still kept in a box. I should throw them away. They take up too much space. Useless junk even a hoarder would find excessive.

Yet here they are. Still plastered, still hidden, still kept. They remind me of better times even as insignificant as they may seem, and were. No matter how much I urge myself to leave them, they still remain etched in memory. I wait for the day I may actually forget them.

And sometimes, on those rare days, I do.

It doesn't happen in an instant. I wish it did. I wish I knew when to let go. Rather, it happened gradually.

A slip of the small things first. Birthdays, car rides, moments I thought I'd remember forever. Instant, time past. My thoughts faded. I became forgetful. Then, after a while, maybe a month or year, the things that were once so necessary in life became a footnote. A mere addition.

One day, the posters will tear and letters will be burnt. As time passes, they will become a remnant of things that once were. And just that. Nothing else, nothing more.

For this post, Ejam and I collaborated for a by-the-beach shoot. I wished I knew that beforehand. Then I wouldn't have worn heels. Rocks and heels do not bode well together. As I've found out in
my go-to Black Summit Heels and Skinny Jeans.

For this shoot, I wore my new Adlina Anis Tri Silky Satin Scarf in Black, and Alia B.Top, I dipped into the cold water. Sweat trickling down my head. I hear clicks from the camera, then adjusted myself. I repeated this process until I stepped back onto shore. My feet covered in sand and sweat trickling down my forehead.

Monday, 21 August 2017

Whether in secondary or sixth form or university, we need some tips and tricks to get through our studies without dying inside.

At least I did and still do.

Since I'm starting my second this September, I thought I would compile my favourite study tips. Perhaps as a reminder to actually study now. So here are my top ten tips to study effectively!

1 . Find a designated study space at home & elsewhere. A desk at home and perhaps a place outside, like a coffee shop or the local library. A minimal area with minimal distraction.

2 . Listen to music. Any white noise to help your brain focus on the material at hand. I recommend instrumentals rather than any current pop music.

3 . Create a studying agenda or a schedule. Figuring what you will study at a specific time helps your mind focus on the task at hand.

4 . Take breaks often, usually I study for 20 - 30 minute intervals and spend the next 5 - 10 minutes resting, by reading or knitting.

5 . Switch your phone on airplane mode, and laptop without wifi. Let's be honest. We'd get much more work done without internet.

6 . Find a time of day you would like to study. During A Levels, I would wake up at 4am to study, go in morning, and early evenings but I wouldn't touch a book in the afternoon.

7 . Get enough sleep, which is pretty hard. You'll get more work done when you have slept the full 8 hours, or at least 6-7 hours. If required…

8 . Take naps. I love naps, they are underrated. 20 - 30 minute power naps are perfect boosts during the day to get your mind recharged.s!

9 . Figure out your study plan or how you want to study. Some people use mind maps but I don’t like them. I prefer using Lined paper and writing notes there, with highlighters. It's up to you to find a preferred way of studying.

10 . Reward yourself. After a good study session, I eat chocolate because it does help boost your memory. At least that’s what I tell myself because I find any excuse to eat chocolate.

Monday, 7 August 2017

"It's just, for the first time..." There was a long pause before her smiles lights, "I feel...wicked."

Oh yes, I do feel absolutely wicked.

For you, and only you, think I am the Wickedest Witch there is. I cast spells on your lovers, break their hearts for youth. Green with envy, and red lips to subdue. I'll spit at your feet, wipe with your short skirt. All your lovers watching me.

Arared's Monica Top in Emerald Green was the most popular item at the FashionValet Pop-Up Sale. My sister picked it up for me, when I was studying abroad. When I saw it, I thought of all the possibilities to dress it up. I grabbed a belt and my Missguided Ribbed Black Skirt, and decided 'yes.'

I put it on and immediately thought, 'I look like a leprechaun.' For the sake of a better title, I will pretend I look more Wicked Witch of the West than a leprechaun looking for her gold.

Thursday, 3 August 2017

It starts like every other story. A boy meets a girl. They are young, careless and free. Just how they should be. Smiles exchanged, and a feeling growing. It wasn't love. No, not yet but it was something. Something they wanted.

It ends the way it shouldn't. A boy meets another girl. A girl becomes bitter. A girl writes a piece. And expresses it through an Open Mic Night a year later.

I've worked with Kaleidoscope Studio before, all the way in 2015 for Shocktober. When I heard they were hosting an Open Mic night, I was compelled. I registered as a performer, and proceeded to freak out. I shouldn't have done this.

I had written a few pieces but I haven't been onstage for almost two years. It's been a while since I've had an audience that wasn't watching me through a screen. I will admit, my tongue no longer spits out words, rather rusty and stutters often.

More than anything else, it was a cathartic release. I forgot how much I enjoy being on stage. There is a comfort to speaking in public, unabashed and unafraid. Perhaps you need a bit of bitterness in your heart, and a kinder audience to watch.